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East Johnson Street: No Ordinary Construction Zone Posted 06/30/2014
Infrastructure unearthed Everything that makes modern life possible is buried under East Johnson Street. It might sound like an overstatement, until you get a rare glimpse of Madison's complex web of infrastructure, temporarily exposed some six feet below the street's surface. Read more » -
The winter that won't be forgotten Posted 02/14/2014
Going without It's easy to take it for granted – turn on the tap, out comes water. But for dozens of people in Madison, the water has stopped. "You can't flush the toilets, you can't wash the dishes, you can't wash clothes...brush your teeth, take a shower, all those things," says Ken Bavery, who lives on a cul-de-sac on Madison's east side. Read more » -
The long road to smart meters Posted 01/29/2014
Out of the dark ages In 2010, Madison Water Utility had a decision to make. The device it had been using for decades to record water use inside Madison homes was about to become obsolete. Read more » -
Why all the main breaks? Posted 01/08/2014
Aging infrastructure meets extreme weather It's 1:00 a.m. on a brutally cold Monday morning, and the call comes in – a six-inch wide water main has ruptured beneath East Badger Road. It's the first of 8 main break calls that will push Madison Water Utility crews to work back-to-back shifts for the next 24 hours. Read more » -
Rebuilding pride in Paterson Posted 11/15/2013
"We're working on our knees" It's Friday, and Madison Water Utility master mechanic Brian Boettcher has just moved a large dump truck into his shop, careful not to scrape the room's ceiling. To change the truck's oil, he'll have to lie on his back. "The older I get, the harder it is," Boettcher admits. Read more » -
Madison Water Utility builds new water mains -- inside the old ones Posted 10/31/2013
Embracing new technology Imagine Badger Rd. completely gutted – nothing but dirt and gravel, impassable for months. Same story for West Mifflin St. and Lake Mendota Drive. It's what would have happened had Madison Water Utility chosen to dig up and replace the aging water mains that run beneath those streets. Read more » -
Sometimes, it's what you don't see Posted 09/25/2013
The stories keep coming in – the landlord who found a broken showerhead spewing water in an unoccupied apartment; the man with a silently running toilet; the couple unaware that a burst hose was gushing in their yard. "They normally say, 'It's impossible. There's no way for that much water to be used and I wouldn't notice it,'" says Madison Water Utility customer service representative Sherri Becker, who often fields calls from customers who've gotten a "continuous usage" letter from the utility to alert them about a possible water leak. Read more »